Brachypelma.org

Scientists have shown for the first time that insects, like mammals, use vision rather than touch to find footholds. They made the discovery thanks to high-speed video cameras -- technology the BBC uses to capture its stunning wildlife footage -- that they used to film desert locusts stepping along the rungs of a miniature ladder.

The study sheds new light on insects' ability to perform complex tasks, such as visually-guided limb control, usually associated with mammals.

According to lead author Dr Jeremy Niven of the University of Cambridge: "This is another example of insects performing a behaviour we previously thought was restricted to relatively big-brained animals with sophisticated motor control such as humans, monkeys or octopuses."

Because insects such as bees and flies spend a lot of time flying, most research has concentrated on how insects use vision during flight. Many insects that spend a lot of time walking, such as stick insects, crickets and cockroaches have relatively small eyes and use long antennae to 'feel' their way through the environment.

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